4 July is the 243rd birthday of our beloved land. I offer some interesting info about why we celebrate the way we do on this day.
John Adams, the Boston-born Founding Father, spurred the idea to light up the skies each Independence Day. A day after the Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776 — yes, July 2 — Adams wrote a letter from Philadelphia to his wife back home in Boston commemorating the day. His letter to Abigail Adam, dated July 3, 1776, read in part:
"But the Day is past. The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America..."
"I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."
Jim offers this:
I ask your leave to offer up this prayer, which I took piecemeal from prayers I heard Boompa say:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us sinners.
I ask your leave to offer up this prayer, which I took piecemeal from prayers I heard Boompa say:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us sinners.
Please hold our precious land, and all the lands and peoples of the sweet earth, in Peace, in Justice, in your Big hands, and near to Your Sacred Heart.
Please take into your mansion all who have fallen for us and our country, and for other peoples and other countries.
Please let us live with the Grace and Compassion that marks the Dream that is the United States and let us continue with our aspiration to goodness, imperfect though we may still be, as the way of our native land.
We pray for all the poor people of the world and those who don't have enough to eat, here and abroad, and ask that we will always bring them help.
We pray for the weak and the innocent and the afflicted, here and abroad, and ask that we will always bring them help.
We pray for ourselves, here and abroad, and ask that we will always bring help to ourselves.
We beg you to end our wars and bring our armed forces home safe, soon, and all the other armed forces of all the people of all the world, even the enemy.
We offer You our Trust.
We offer You our never-ending thanks for Your many blessings on our beautiful Country.
We offer You our determination to live up to these blessings.
Amen.
God bless us and save us and keep us from harm,
Love, Patty and Jim
Love, Patty and Jim
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